VA to shut down Malone clinic

MALONE  Many veterans who depend on the Veterans Affairs primary care clinic in Malone are outraged that it will close Aug. 31.

The clinic serves 699 veterans, according to Bonnie Stewart, deputy director of the Franklin County Veterans Services Agency.

We are heartsick, she said. We know these vets and their stories.

Veterans will have to travel to Massena, Saranac Lake or Plattsburgh to receive treatment, and Ms. Stewart said it will be hard for some vets to get transportation.

Linda Weiss, director of the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center, made the decision and informed the veterans via mail May 7. Employees of the clinic didnt know it was going to close until they received an email.

This is just awful, said Michael Rousseau, a Navy veteran of Vietnam who is disabled. He has a coagulated blood disease and must have his blood drawn as often as three times a month.

Id be responsible to pay 20 percent if I went to local doctors, he said, adding that he did not want to have to drive out of his way just to have blood drawn. Im on a fixed income.

Mr. Rousseaus father, also a war veteran, cannot walk. His brother, Armond Rousseau, suffers from Parkinsons disease because of Agent Orange. They and other family members all use the Malone clinic.